It’s not THAT bad but I have difficulties believing this is the same author that wrote the Miles family series and the Bailey brothers series… 39 s3 comments Sam420 7

2.75/5 - This series is just not hitting the Bailey Brothers/Miles Family series did. I’m just not feeling the chemistry between the characters.

Also the suspense part of this book was so predictable.interconnected-standalones romantic-suspense small-town-romance33 s2 comments logan 368 3,004

enjoyed the suspense element but the romance development was….. not it.29 s Christi (christireadsalot)2,195 849

Ugh this was super disappointing! I’ve read this author for years now off and on and there have definitely been hits and misses. But I enjoyed the first book in this series and had high hopes this series would hit. But this book just wasn’t it.

This is a small town, romantic suspense series and in this book we have a hero who fell first (years ago) and a heroine who is oblivious (and doesn’t even believe his feelings when he does express them). She’s too wrapped up into this “perfect” guy she’s just started dating, so she doesn’t believe the hero when he comes forward with his feelings for her. He is her best friend’s brother, so they’ve been in one another’s lives for years. But of course not everything is perfect with the new guy and the heroine unfortunately realizes that too late. But no worries cause the hero is waiting for her.

So the romance felt lacking and just not well-developed. We get told about moments from their shared past but it didn’t do anything. He was pining, she didn’t believe him, he was pulling childish pranks on her current date. It just felt weird. There is a suspense plot-line to the story that was dark and while I preferred those chapters instead, even though those weren’t fully captivating either and were predictable. All in all this was just a miss for me!

CW: sex trafficking, sexual assault, drugging, abduction, physical violence against womenaudiobook contemporary-romance romantic-suspense ...more21 s Jenn (The Book Refuge)2,157 3,340

Another great read from Claire Kingsley. I love the Havens and this Romantic Suspense had just enough drama and plenty of small town charm.

4 stars
1.5 on the spice scale2024-ku 2024-read13 s Amanda Herring298 11

I didn’t understand why these two characters supposedly loved each other…10 s Laeeqah Ebrahim 133 1 follower

I don't know whose book this one is but I am sooo excited for all of it. Aaaah10 s2 comments Tammy Moldovan1,501 18

Shocked into love

I loved, loved, loved Marigold and Zachary’s dual secret crush, best friend’s brother romantic suspense tale with a side of romcom. The story had the perfect blend of sweet moments, spice, laughs, supportive friends, messy families, painful pasts, secrets, a little bit of danger, absurdity, and all the happy heart squeezing love. The slow ratcheting up of the tension that accompanies the hints and glimpses of the bad guy is delicious perfection. Don’t worry, the suspense was well balanced with the romance and the Tilikum absurdity. Add in the chapters from a third POV to give us information about the bad guy without the MCs knowing things yet and it created a wonderful cocktail of awesomeness. Zachary is an electrician in small town Tilikum. He is impulsive and stubborn and has five brothers and one sister. He has been secretly in love with his sister’s best friend for years but it’s not until a brush with death that he decides to do something about it. Marigold owns the hair salon in Tilikum. She is romantic and loves love so she has been waiting for her Prince Charming/Mr Darcy to show up. Just as he seems to have finally appeared, Zachary decides he wants her. But is Preston really Prince Charming or is he really the devil in disguise. While the identity of the bad guy in the story was obvious, that did nothing to diminish the enjoyment of the story. Reading this will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, and cheering - while it’s sucking you into the romance and suspense. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline. I cannot wait to read which Haven brother falls next.9 s Kair73

Note: I read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Claire Kingsley’s latest book Storm and Secrets brings us back to Tilikum, the hometown of the Bailey and Haven families. Storms and Secrets is the second book in the Haven Brother’s series, but can also be read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this book, and basically dropped everything to read the entire book in one afternoon/evening. This book has two storylines: the first is the disappearance of Brielle Thayer and the second is the enemies to couple romance of Zachary Haven and Marigold Martin. Storms and Secrets is more of a romantic suspense novel than your typical rom-com, but don’t get me wrong there are plenty of very funny scenes between brothers, towns folk and the pesky squirrels of Tilikum. I have read all of Claire’s Bailey and Haven books at least twice and this book will definitely become one of my favorites in the series. I must admit I was a bit skeptical of Zachary being the hero when the book started due to the way he was portrayed in other books. However, this book showed the readers another side of Zachary that made us all fall in love with him and root for him as he fights to win Marigold’s heart and solve all the secrets that are lurking around Tilikum. Claire Kingsley’s writing has become more suspenseful as she writes more of the Bailey/Haven stories. I highly recommend Storms and Secrets and encourage readers to check out the entire series.

The book will be available on March 14, 2024 in hard copy, Kindle Unlimited and Audible Audiobook. Save it to your TBR list today!8 s Steph58

If I hadn’t already read the Miles and Bailey series I don’t know if I would keep reading the Haven series. It’s just lacking compared to those. There is no believable chemistry between the couples. The plot of this one was in line with the first Haven series - darker than typical CK books. It was fairly predictable but still interesting. I was excited for this series because of how good the Bailey series was, but the Haven characters are just really falling flat for me. 8 s Ally Cee85

I didn’t feel strongly about this book either way. For how long this book was I didn’t really know anything about either main character. There wasn’t much character growth or background. And why did these two each other? With these two having known each other their whole lives, flashbacks would have been helpful to bring the full picture. And this book didn’t have the suspense the previous one did. We knew who the bad guy was from the beginning and it became clear pretty quickly what he was doing. All in all it was an okay read. I do hope Brielle will be one of the MFCs in a future book in this series.best-friends-brother found-family no-third-act-breakup ...more7 s Maria589 29

I really don’t know how the author did it but she has outdone herself once again. Firstly, the plot; there is an initial entanglement that leads the reader at a dead end but if one goes deeper into the story it will take he/she into a surprising situation. Secondly, the characters; Marigold is a kind and sweet girl who wants, all the other girls, a happy ending. She’s a bit discouraged but later she’ll realize that the love of her life has been under her nose all these years. Zachary, our hero, who apparently seems to be a smartass and an uncaring guy, is actually a passionate and a kind soul. Around these characters we will meet once again those we have read before and started to love so much. Pay attention: this is not only a small town romance, which we love so much, but there is a plus that is a suspenseful situation that will capture the reader’s attention until the end of the book. 7 s Martha Tuohey71

3.75

The suspense element of the plot definitely outweighed/outshined the romance.7 s Debbie475

This book is AMAZING! I seriously could not put it down, forget the housework, I spent all day reading it!

Zachary and Marigold grew up knowing each other, after all, she was the best friend of his sister Anniker, but suddenly the two stopped talking, he would avoid her at all costs, and although she knew why, it still hurt all these years later.

It all changed one day when he was working at her salon, and realised that they were meant to be together, but how was he going to make Marigold fall for him. The thought shocked him to the core, but he was determined to win her heart, whatever it took.

Marigold could not believe Zachary had decided that they should be together, why now, when she had been on a few dates with someone she really d, she just couldn’t get her head round it, but these old deep seated feelings are hard to ignore.

What follows is a story of storms and secrets, with mystery, danger and lots of love thrown in!6 s KY Book Lover358

If you have read the Haven or the Bailey books by Clare Kingsley, you already know and love Marigold Martin. She is a hopeless romantic, the town hairdresser, and BFF to Annika Haven and Audrey (future Haven). We knew she was crushing on a Haven brother, and finally, the mystery is solved but not without a lot of complications. The main complication comes in the form of a mystery man by the name of Preston Garrett, who is new to town and seemingly the man of Marigold's dreams. 

After a near death experience. Zachary Haven is ready to confess his love for Marigold.  Unfortunately,  his timing is the worst as she has just started dating the new man in town. It doesn't take long for Zachary to not only want Marigold to stop dating Preston but to fear for her safety as well. 

To say this book was not what I expected would be a tremendous understatement. Of course,  I loved the cast of characters. They are all fantastic and fun. The squirrel protection squad makes several appearances, which is great.The story of  Zachary and Marigold was so incredibly well written and sweet, I loved it

There is,however, a dark subplot to this book that I was not expecting.  I don't think I've ever suggested checking tw's for a Claire Kingsley book, but for this one, you should. It gets dark, and truthfully, I could've done without that. I know there is going to be suspense, and I that, but this was a bit much, IMO. I looked to her books for fun, lighthearted reads. This one was very different.  To be clear, not bad, just different.  Will I continue to read this series, of course, but I will hope for more books the Baileys and less this.6 s Kali29 Read

0 ??

I’m sorry this was the weirdest, while still managing to be boring, book I have ever read. The FMC and MMC have less chemistry than two slices of bread and while I usually don’t mind the insta love trope, this was unhinged. Also there was a very unnecessary sub plot about sex trafficking!? No thanks.6 s Cassandra1,182 90

girl I am not religious but what on god's green earth happened here?

Marigold and Zachary's story needed to cook more on the backburner. I just didn't care about either of them from the last book to make this one feel right to be book two. Luke was who I actually expected but that isn't even the worst of it

First of all, the conflict from Marigold and Zachary's past was valid I guess but Zachary being the way he was for their entire lives only to BLURT OUT AN "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU" with NO preparation? I know I love yous are not a planned delivery but bro there was NO GROUNDS from you? It was no wonder she reacted that way but also her resolve was shot so quick too. I didn't buy their relationship. The development here was not it and the pacing is insane. How are we at the end of the book and now both brothers are planning their weddings months apart? I have so many thoughts on this.

Second of all, Zachary is the black sheep in his family according to all him and his dad. He's saying he's too much, too impulsive, not good enough. His dad doesn't give him the time of day and then they have one weird moment at the end that is just supposed to fill that hole up? No discussion on how Zachary feels he's a failure in his father's eyes? That's a pretty big pill to swallow. An even better moment to help develop your characters.

The suspense in this made me uncomfortable and rightfully so. Sex trafficking makes me feel physically ill and I was nauseated by the entire plot. I am glad we didn't get details for this. I didn't need to see more in this one.

Overall, I'm disappointed in this book. Our love interests don't feel they belong together yet. Zachary's behaviour to win Mari over was not redeeming nor was it endearing. It was he wasn't picking up on social cues. I genuinely don't understand how we went from Josiah's story to this one but here we are...

I think I'm going to head to the Bailey's series since seem to be pretty unanimous that that one has been favoured more than this one.2024 sus-rom5 s2 comments Emily55 2

Note: I read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

Claire Kingsley has done it again! I read (and loved) the first book in this series and it was a comfy sweater or an old pair of shoes-- totally beloved but no major shocks or surprises, even with the intrigue piece of the storyline. This installment, however, was thrilling! I'm amazed at how much I love the character of Zachary Haven, because encounters with him in previous books gave me the impression of him as an asshole instigator who just can't let shit go. As it turns out, that's still kind of accurate, but when channeled correctly? Whew! This was good, good stuff. I can tell it was an awesome book because I already want to go back and read it again!5 s Heather554 45

I feel I inherently have to give this 3 stars because it's Zachary and Marigold and therefore I won.

This was better than the previous book but there's still something about the way Kingsley is going about this series that somewhat bugs me. It may be the fact that it's trying to be equal parts romance and mystery/thriller but it's simply not meshing for me. The storyline is fine, and while I do appreciate a POV for Brielle and seeing depth in the antagonistic/mystery plot, I still feel it really takes away from Zachary and Marigold's story and thus rushing so many aspects of their characters and overall dynamic. It's interesting that the Bailey series all seemed to have an overarching/connecting storyline between them to keep the B plot interesting, yet there was still plenty of time to develop characters and relationships. Why is there such a struggle to do that with the Havens? I don't get it. These books do remind me of Evan's book where I noted that the plot of that book felt very separate from the others, but it's this series so far just feels not only very separate from the Baileys but from other books similar to this style. I don't think what Kingsley is trying to do is bad, but it's simply too surface level and detached for me.

But as I said, Zachary and Marigold are It and I won. Thank you for your time.mystery romance4 s1 comment WhittyReads450 7

Claire Kingsley writes the most charming and quirky, and stories. This was a lot darker than the previous book so definitely be aware of the TW. While I did enjoy the suspense part of the book. The romance wasn’t my favorite. The pacing of the romance was jarring and I just didn’t believe or fall in love with this couple. I do love the town, the side characters and the suspense was intense (yet predictable).

I really want to dive into the Bailey brother as I want to dive into the history between the families. So I think fans of that series and this author’s work will enjoy this series more if you’ve read her other books.

CW: mentions of sex trafficking, physical violence towards women 2024-romance-releases its-always-been-you kindle-unlimited ...more5 s Amanda S.133

this was painful & I probably should've DNFd. I've followed Claire Kingsley for years now, but I'm thinking it might be time to take a break.4 s2 comments Ashley -Goldstarreads812 13

That was absolutely amazing. Seriously, I didn’t think Claire could make me the Haven brothers, let alone love them…but shoot, I’m totally in love with the Haven brothers. Especially Zachary. When we met him back in the early Bailey brother days, I thought that punk needed his butt whooped and I wanted to see the Havens crushed. Now? I’m head over heels for them. First Josiah, now Zachary (and I already had a thing for Luke, cause let’s be honest, he and Garrett have always been the Havens that were tolerable). Zachary was sweet and funny, charming and protective. Sexy as sin. And Marigold? Ugh, she is just an absolute doll. She is feisty, fierce and beautiful inside and out, a real sweetheart with a heart of gold (rose gold for her!). These two together don’t make sense on surface level but as you get to know them, you realize how absolutely perfect each other they are. Soulmates destined for a wonderful and beautiful life together. But before they get there, they have some challenges to face. the mysterious, rich bachelor that’s in town and wants to date Marigold. And the biggest challenge? Zachary himself. He had to get out of his way and make amends for some big hurts and being a dumb guy that ignored a situation and the object of his love instead of handling things. Claire Kingsley seriously outdid herself with Zachary Haven and his charming ways. I love the suspense and mystery that made up the plot of this book. You clearly know something is up early on but it builds steadily, it doesn’t go from no danger to red flashing signs, but as you read, your instincts are screaming at you, and I literally screamed at the characters to run the other way! As always, Claire Kingsley doesn’t disappoint with the writing, it is always phenomenal. Her characters are layered, complex, endearing and just wonderful (unless we are meant to hate you, but even then she can make us love them again). The plot was interesting and intriguing. The story sucked me in and kept me engaged the entire time.

I listened to the audio book and wow! The narrators do an amazing job bringing these characters to life. Teddy Hamilton is one of my absolute favorite male voice actors, he was the perfect man to voice Zachary. He brings that cockiness and mischievousness to life, gives passion and emotion to his character. Samantha Brentmoor is a fantastic Marigold, she truly gives that sassy, fierce, and sweetness to her performance. She was perfect for Marigold. And lastly, Desiree Ketchum does great for the third person POV, it gives a new dynamic to the story and life to it. It elevated the performance to have a different voice for someone who was a big part of the plot while being in the background.

This story was everything I wanted in a Claire Kingsley novel, and romance novel period. I fell in love with Zachary and Marigold and their journey to being together. I fell in love with Tilikum all over again. This story made me laugh out loud, smile so big my cheeks hurt, tear up and yell at the characters. It truly was a fantastic read and I can’t wait to visit Tilikum again.4 s Emme2

This was a nightmare to finish. Characters have no depth or thought process behind any of the decisions they make. Conversations consist of three short sentences. And the plot would MAYBE be believable if it was written properly. I don't understand how this turned out so much worse than the rest of Tilikum books. It's truly a shame because Zachary had potential and Marigold definitely deserved a better love story.4 s Carrie12

The more I thought about the book after reading it the more disappointed I got. I love the miles family and Bailey brothers books and even enjoyed the first haven book. This one felt a suspense book with a sub plot of romance. I don’t think we really learned anything new about the characters that we didn’t know from previous books. The romance felt hurried and over looked. The suspense was pretty predictable but also darker than any of the other books.

Trigger warning: SA, physical abuse, sex trafficking, drugging. 4 s Dara39 1 follower

Don't judge Claire Kingsley books by this one. The other Tilikum books universe books are so much better.4 s Sara80

I truly feel the sex trafficking story line was wholly unnecessary- you’re telling me there wasn’t a single better option that the author could have gone with? 4 s Joss9

Marigold and Zach's book is here !!! Yes, I always had a feeling that it was Zach and not Luke and now that is confirmed !!! (Though I still can't wait for Luke's book )4 s1 comment Cole57 1 follower

I have really enjoyed the Romantic Suspense genre we’ve been getting from the Havens series. I will say, I did have to double check the book I was reading when I got to the first Brielle chapter. But I really enjoyed this.

I hated the “villain” and did find myself almost shouting at the pages when Marigold or Brielle would make decisions based around him. I think this book did show how easy it is to fall for the charm that people can use to hide their true selves. It’s really easy to see a lot of the bad traits clearly when you’re on the outside.

I think I was expecting a little bit more from Zachary’s character, and maybe it is the lack of spice. Maybe the whole flirty charisma that I have seen in previous CK characters similar to him made it feel that it was slightly missing that.
That being said, I do completely understand the reasoning behind this for the author and I will continue to read Claire’s books as I love Tilikum so much and feel very invested in all the characters.

I am excited to see where CK takes Brielle’s character from here as she has been built up to possibly be a fairly main character in future. And the whole character of Reece is still keeping me wondering.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review6 s Lauren30

It was good- not great and not awful.

Missing the chemistry and spice and honestly just the passion in the storytelling of the Baileys and the Miles series. Wayyy less spicy which is meh, especially for someone with a character meant to have as much charm and magnetism as Zachary.

I do the intrigue and suspense element of the Haven series. It’s something different, which is nice.

Just overall feels these characters are harder to connect with or the backstory and context isn’t built out as much, e.g. Zachary’s relationship with his Dad is tense but no real ‘why’ so the emotional pull of the ‘I’m proud of you, son’ just doesn’t garner as many feels. 3 s Measabibliophile41

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